REALITY IS BETTER THAN REALITY TV.
BIG BACK GRIPS USER PROFILE INTERVIEW: Mike Foster
Bodybuilder Mike Foster is one of the biggest fans of Big Back Grips users we know. (Read a little further to see how we met.) He also one of the most multifaceted. His facets include bodybuilder, English teacher, spokesperson and bartender. Big Mike Foster is a widely known and well respected member of the community of fitness professionals in Los Angeles. As a fitness model and spokesperson, he has represented ErgoGenics and Sylvester Stallone’s Instone. He has also represented Big Back Lifting Grips at Muscle Beach Venice on many occasions. The very hetero Mike is also a part time bartender at Hamburger Mary’s, a popular gay bar and restaurant in West Hollywood, California. Mike also works at Big Back’s very first dealer: N101 Nutrition, Health and Sport at their Hollywood and West Hollywood locations.
Now 37 and living in Los Angeles, Mike is originally from Monroe, Michigan, on “glorious Lake Erie” and taught English for nine years in Carleton, Michigan. His “closing act” on an episode of The Bachelorette became the most famous YouTube clip The Bachelorette ever produced. If you want to see what really wide lats look like, check out the “wings” part of the Bachelorette video. That’s Mike Foster’s cocky muscle side. And at 6’6” and 250 lbs, with a handsome smile and constant flow of charm and humor, he gets away with cocky. At least is a two minute video.
Interview Questions
BBG: First, tell us about your workout. What does it consist of?
Mike Foster: I do jumping jacks — lots of them. Seriously, I try to not lift heavy any more, but that is hard for me because that’s how I built my size. I have been incorporating a lot of stretching, super high rep sets, cardio and outdoor activity. I fell in love with an outdoor track down here in Redondo Beach and I love to do H.I.I.T. training there. Oh, ok, I’ll say it; I also do a lot of back workouts (chins, pull-downs, D.B. rows, etc.). If I have a favorite body part, I’d have to say “lats.” And I really do use Big Back Grips. Especially on those super smooth chinning bars at the beach. Nothing really grips except Big Back Grips. And let me remind you how we met. You found out through N101 that I used your Big Backs and you begged me, BEGGED ME, to work with you guys. I really liked that.
Anyway, I train very instinctively. Sometimes I’m not sure what I will do until I finish my 15 minute cardio warm-up. But I absolutely will not train back unless I have my BBG’s with me. That is the absolute truth!
BBG: We don’t recall the begging.
Mike Foster: I do. You begged.
BBG: No we didn’t. How’s your diet?
Mike Foster: Yeah, you did. If I am dieting I have to keep carbs to a minimum and make sure they are low-glycemic. My protein always stays high. I am a supplement “junkie” so I am knocking down at least 3-4 protein shakes a day with vitamins, amino acids and pre-workout formulations. I combine that with lean meats and veggies and create my own “lean and mean” recipes.
BBG: What are your goals as a bodybuilder?
MF: In establishing my bodybuilding goals, I did the exact opposite of most. I am not interested in getting huge. I am always trying to tighten up the package, stay lean, get ripped, and lose some size. It is hard for me because I love to train heavy and eat. Plus, I love BEEF! I’m from the Midwest. Eating big and lifting heavy is what we do, it’s what we are built for. Check the average size of a Big Ten offensive lineman. We’re not small.
I came to Cali and I noticed most everyone was into yoga and cross-training, and not heavy basics. I found this refreshing and very fascinating so I jumped on board. California bodybuilders also eat a lot of chicken and fish, so I am trying to pass on the beef and follow suit. I feel that losing size will improve my functionality and yes, look better on film.
Big Back Grips: Tell us about being on The Bachelorette. First, how did you find your way on to the show?
Mike Foster: I had never actually seen either “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette,” but my parents watched the shows and I remembered them talking about it. A friend of mine from college (Mount Union College in Ohio) e-mailed me that they were auditioning people in Cleveland. It just so happened I was scheduled to work a bodybuilding contest on behalf of Sylvester Stallone’s Instone brand in Cleveland that weekend. On a whim I sent in an application, never expecting to hear back. But ABC called and asked me to come early and meet with the production staff. I suppose the rest is cheesy reality television history….
BBG: How could reality TV be cheesy? Was The Bachelorette fun? How far did you get?
Mike Foster: How could trying to date a girl in front of 24 other guys, cameras, production staff and America watching not be cheesy? I did have an absolute blast. It was like being in a fraternity house except I didn’t have to get up for class in the morning. I just had to wake up to the sound of more shenanigans. I was on three episodes total. The Men Tell All was my favorite episode because afterward we got to go out in L.A. and not have cameras following us. I was never in L.A. before the show and now I am so I suppose that worked out for the best. But the L.A. bars with those “bachelors” got a little wild.
BBG: Do you regret not being “the chosen one”? Would you have considered marrying someone you met on a reality show?
Mike Foster: I don’t regret anything about that show. It was exactly what I thought it would be; a good experience. I don’t think I would not consider marrying someone from a reality show. Reality is better than reality TV. And love can be found anywhere at any time.
BBG: Would ever do another reality show if it came up?
Mike Foster: I did. Ugh!
BBG: It sounds like you’re done with reality shows. Can you talk about Hamburger Mary’s in West Hollywood?
Mike Foster: NO! What happens at Hamburger Mary’s stays at Hamburger Mary’s. At least that’s what the Hamburger Mary’s shirts say.
BBG: Is it fun to be “the hot straight bartender” at a rowdy gay club?
Mike Foster: It is probably more fun than being “the ugly gay bartender” at a boring straight club.
BBG: What are your biggest goals right now, Mike?
Mike Foster: I want to continue to develop as a fitness professional and spokesman. I want to continue to improve my physique for definition and shape.
BBG: That sounds like a pretty good plan. Mike, thanks for talking to us. If the next reality show wants to find you, where should they look?
Mike Foster: They can always contact me at my Facebook page. Just search Mike Foster Cocky Muscle if you want to find my Bachelorette video. Or at fosterfitness@hotmail.com or there’s always something new going on right here at the Big Back Grips site!